39th Annual Student Research Conference
Taking Flight: Joan Tower’s Influence and Contemporary Clarinet Works
Dylan M. Bonn♦
Dr. Jesse Krebs, Faculty Mentor
Joan Tower (b. 1938) is a leading contemporary American composer known for her rhythmically driven, energetic style. She has received numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards, four Grammy nominations, and the Grawemeyer Award. Tower studied at Bennington College and Columbia University, with the influential composers Otto Luenig, Jack Beeson, and Chou Wen-chung, who helped shape her compositional voice.
This presentation will examine Tower’s important clarinet works, including Breakfast Rhythms, Petroushskates, Wings, Fantasy, and Clarinet Concerto, with a focus on Wings. Early works like Breakfast Rhythms and Petroushskates explore interlocking patterns, imagery, and energetic motion, laying a foundation for Wings, which features soaring and lyrical lines with interpretative freedom. Fantasy is more fragmented and episodic, while her Clarinet Concerto combines virtuosic solo passages with intricate ensemble dialogue. Together, these works showcase her evolution from energetic chamber writing to more expressive and highly virtuosic compositions.
Keywords: Joan Tower, Contemporary, Clarinet, Virtuosic, Wings, Composer
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Performance Art
Session: -2
Location: SUB Alumni room
Time: 1:30